Monorail Backers Stunned but Delighted

By Tom Herriman

In a dramatic reversal of its earlier foot-dragging, The Seattle City Council on Monday decided in a unanimous voice vote to place I-53, the Monorail enabling initiative, on the November ballot. Councilmember Margaret Pageler was not present for the vote.

The Council’s action was a sudden and unexpected victory for monorail backers who have been searching for ways to get the monorail started ever since the first monorail initiative passed in 1998.

Initiative 53, which voters will find on their ballot in the general election November 7, calls for a two-year study of monorail options funded by $6 million in city funds. It also earmarks $200 million in city borrowing authority to provide a funding source for a monorail proposal that will be placed before the voters, with a price tag and a timetable following the study.

Initiative organizer Peter Sherwin was nearly speechless with surprise at the latest developments including Monday’s city council vote.

"Sixty-five days ago we didn’t even have an initiative. Now we have a ballot proposal," he said.

Initiative 53 volunteers gathered 22,000 signatures in 35 days only to see over 25 percent of them invalidated by election officials. If people signed twice, both signatures were thrown off. Signatures were also invalidated if the signer’s residence address was different from their voter registration address.

Attorney Tom Carr, former chair of the Electric Transportation Company, said the invalidations were illegal and unconstitutional and prepared a lawsuit to force the city to recognize the signatures and validate the petitions.

But nine minutes before the court hearing was to start on September 15, election officials said they would validate the disputed signatures, thus moving the whole issue into the city council’s lap on Monday morning.

Carr said he was baffled by the election officials’ sudden reversal. "Arcane and strange practices go on in the board of elections," he mused.

Mayor Paul Schell jumped into the fray late Friday, with a public statement urging the council to put the measure on the ballot. Monday morning’s dailies carried the astonishing news that Councilmember Heidi Wills, one of the council’s staunchest monorail opponents, was willing to adopt the measure outright without even bothering with a public vote.

This did not happen on Monday, but the council agreed to take up the matter again in special session on Friday September 22. Wills has submitted an ordinance adopting I-53 without a public vote. Councilmember Richard McIver has submitted two ordinances with similar aims.

"I’m pleasantly surprised by how quickly this is all happening," Carr told The Seattle Press. "They followed the law to the letter."

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